The present invention relates generally to computer games and methods of playing computer games, and more specifically to computer games and methods that use trading-style cards. The trading cards have a unique code, which is used by a computer program to control access to portions of the computer program.
The use of trading cards in connection with computer programs is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,662,332, 5,743,801, 5,864,604, 5,902,353, 5,026,058, 5,212,368, 5,411,259, 6,061,656, 5,743,801, 5,689,561 and 5,903,729, and different types of trading cards are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,822,043, 5,417,431, 5,494,445, 5,687,087, 5,689,561, and 5,695,346. The disclosures of all of these patents are incorporated herein by reference.
The trading cards for use with the present computer game may be sold separately or sold packaged with another product, such as a toy animal. At least some of the trading cards are printed with a unique identifying number, which a user of the card may use as an access code for the computer program. There may be as many unique identifying numbers as there are cards, and there may also be several different identifying numbers printed on a single card.
Preferably, at least some of the identifying numbers are covered or obscured from view by a removable coating, so that the identifying number can be seen only by removing the coating. The removal coating may be designed so that it is damaged or no longer present on the card once it is been removed, similar to scrabble coatings and tamper-evident packaging. The use of a removable coating on the trading card allows traders of the card to determine whether anyone may have used the identifying number on any particular card because a card on which the coating has been removed is likely to have been used with a computer program. As described in more detail below, the cards have more value to a player of the computer program if the identifying number has not been used.
For example, when a user has removed the removable coating from a trading card, the identifying number that was covered by the removable coating may be entered into a computer program. If the computer program is designed so that certain aspects of the program are accessible only when particular identifying numbers are entered, access to particular identifying numbers provides extra value to a user of the computer program. A user of the computer program may, therefore, want to obtain additional unique identifying numbers, either by purchasing additional cards, or by trading with others who may have such cards.
The computer program may track whether one or more of the identifying numbers has been entered, and may modify future operation of the program so that reentry of any particular identifying number does not provide any additional benefit to any user. One way of doing this is to track the identifying numbers in a database, and modify a field of the database or delete the identifying number from the database to indicate that a particular identifying number has been entered by a user. Alternatively, identifying numbers may be added to a database only when entered by a user of the program. Each time an identifying number is entered by any user, the computer program would access the appropriate database, and determine whether that identifying number had been entered previously.
The identifying numbers may be created and tracked by the computer program, or created outside of the computer program and then communicated to the computer program in the form of a database of codes, or a set of rules for interpreting codes. Preferably, the identifying numbers would be non sequential, include random quantities of numerals and letters, and be created so that it is difficult to guess any particular number that may be functional for any particular computer program. Thus, it is difficult for someone to enter a random number into the computer program to obtain the benefit of that number, because it is unlikely that any particular number is even part of the series of the identifying numbers used by the program. This makes it more likely that users of the program acquire cards for use with a program, and not circumvent the purpose of the trading cards.
The computer program may be implemented as part of an Internet web site, but it may also be implemented as a stand-alone program or local area network. A user of the program typically would enter a user name and password each time that user accesses the program. This information may be stored in tracked by the program so that the user may save and later resumed resume play of the game at a time, and may continue to access the portions of the program provided by earlier entry of particular identifying numbers.
The portions of the program that are accessed by entry of a particular identifying number may simply be links to an associated screen display or web page within the computer program or web site. As a user obtains new trading cards with new identifying numbers, the user may enter them into the program. The user may be taken randomly to a new display or new page within the web or program each time the user enters a new identifying number. Each new identifying number may provide a different screen display, audio clip, printout, and/or video or movie clip. Therefore, the user""s experience may change as each new code is entered.
Alternatively, some of the identifying numbers may give the user a special power within the program. For example, if the program is a battle simulation game, a character within the program may acquire additional weapons or skills. If the user then returns to previously accessed portions of the program, play of the game within those portions of the program may be changed as well.
The screen displays or web pages may be offered in random order so as to create a customized feel for each user. The progress of each user may be tracked by a database by user name and password, so that a user may return to a previously played portion of the program, as discussed above, or may access additional portions of the program as a reward for the progress made by the user, without requiring additional identifying numbers. Furthermore, there may be a cumulative benefit to collecting the trading cards. Once the user has entered a predetermined number of identifying numbers, access may be provided to yet additional portions of the computer game.
The advantages of the present invention may be understood more readily after a consideration of the drawings and the Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment.